“He was physically abusive to young Maleah,” said the activist, who claims Bowens knew about the abuse but didn’t report it.

“It’s a shame because that could have saved young Maleah’s life had she had the strength and the courage to get away from Maleah’s stepdad when she saw these dangerous warning signs that he was physically abusive.”

Quanell X said Bowens herself was abused repeatedly as a child and she was “taught to live with that.” He said she now realizes she should have done more to protect her daughter.

“She’s beating herself up, and some of it is deserved because she could have did a better job when the warning signs were there to get away from this man,” Quanell X said.

A few hours later, Vence is seen leaving the apartment with a laundry basket containing a trash bag and a large bottle of bleach.

Credit: KHOU

Derion Vence, Maleah Davis' stepdad can be seen in neighbor's surveillance footage.

Detectives say the laundry basket and a gas can were found in the car Vence reported stolen. They say a cadaver dog detected the scent of human remains in the car, which was spotted by a taxi driver in Missouri City.

THE ARREST

Police arrested Vence at a relative’s home on Saturday, May 12, one week after he reported Maleah had been kidnapped by two men who knocked him out.

Vence is charged with tampering with a human corpse in connection with Maleah’s disappearance. The charge is likely to be upgraded, the district attorney’s office told CBS News.

"I can guarantee you there will be a murder indictment on this man," Quanell said. "Evidence from inside the apartment being analyzed right now will help us all learn the truth of what he did with her body."

But what if they don't find Maleah's body? Can Vence be charged with murder?

“Many people ask that question. They remember some anecdotal rule that you have to have a body for a murder. It’s a hard circumstantial evidence case, but it’s not impossible under our law,” said Treece.

“The government goes out and finds people, and works out a deal with them -- especially in cases like this where they can’t find a body -- to build a case based on so-called accomplice's testimony. That’s what I think will happen,” he said.https://twitter.com/JanelKHOU/status/1127956501350555649

RELATIVES REACT

Vence’s arrest confirmed what many relatives had feared from the beginning: That they will probably never see Maleah again.

Some believe Bowens should face charges, as well.

"I believe that she's guilty because a mother is going to protect her child any means necessary,” Tamisha Mendoza said. She is the cousin of Maleah’s biological father. “I don’t care to hear that she was scared. You did not protect your daughter."

Bowens has not commented since her former fiance's arrest on Saturday. A funeral home in Massachusetts confirms she attended her father's burial on May 1. Flight records show she returned to Houston on May 3.